The upcoming exhibition, Purely Pastel, opening this Friday night at the Percy Thomson Gallery, showcases more than 90 works by members of Pastel Artists of New Zealand (PANZ).
The three-day National PANZ convention is being held at the gallery this weekend with workshops by two international pastel artists.
This exhibition is an ideal opportunity for people to see the latest works from exceptional pastel artists and to learn more about this enduring art form made popular by painters such as Degas, Renoir and Cassatt.
Artists use the medium for its vibrant colour, vitality and immediacy. Visitors can be confident of seeing a variety of approaches.
Pastels—dry, satiny colours, manufactured in sticks of every hue—enjoyed a surge in popularity during the 18th century, becoming, for a time, the medium of choice for European portraiture. Unlike oil paints, which required laborious studio procedures and long sittings and drying times, pastels were portable and allowed speedy execution—the chance, essentially, to "draw" a painting.